I was asked this question last week via Facebook.
I have regarding a friends online reputation…what if the arrest record that flashes online is their own? What if it was years ago, they've moved on, created a new life, help others and still find that new news pieces get written 10+ years later that quickly unravel that life someone built up? How do you combat news organizations who, with one quick article effectively ruin years of work?
Believe it or not, I get asked this question, in slightly different forms, more often than you might think. The answer is simple but not easy and there are two parts to this puzzle. One you can control. One you cannot.
First off, you can’t control what the news organizations post about you online. Arrest records are public or are at least searchable. Once indexed by Google those results will show up in search results and since we can’t dictate to Google what they post, well…you get the point.
Arrest record aside, the heart of this particular question was really how do you stop news organizations from posting news from 10 years ago. Unfortunately, you can't. It’s just that simple.
You could call the news organization and ask them to take down the offending post but unless you have a compelling reason for them to do so, sorry but good luck with that.
The reality of this situation is that this arrest record will follow this person for the rest of their life.
So, what is a person to do in this situation?
7 STEPS TO “CONTROL” YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION
Disclaimer. Any suggestions I would make for a client would be specific to and based on the individual, their situation and an assessment of where they stand today.
Having said that what follows are some high-level tips that we can all use and apply to help “control” what Googles displays in its search results. As it turns out the same tactics will help you define your brand as well.
Buy a domain with your name (Click HERE – affiliate link – if you don’t own your own domain)
When someone searches for you on Google they type your name into the search bar. In that instant, your name becomes what is known as a keyword.
Google is the ultimate content curator on the planet. Its sole purpose (besides making lots of money in ads) is to find all of the content related to a particular keyword. It will collect, rank and display everything it can find on that keyword.
By owning your name as a domain, Google will recognize it as having met the searched for a keyword and return it in the results.
However, the mere act of owning your domain will not help you. You will need to put your online real estate to work by starting a blog.
HINT: Owning your name as a domain serves as an insurance policy of sorts. Because you own it, this prevents others who share your name from grabbing it and using it in a manner that might not compliment your desired brand.
Start a blog (VIDEO – How to start a blog in less than five minutes)
Once you’ve purchased your domain, you’ll need to get it “out there” on the internet by installing what’s known as a content management system. My personal choice is WordPress. WordPress allows anyone to build a website.
If the thought of building a website bothers you, don’t worry I created a course just for you over at CareerBranding.Academy.
After installing WordPress, you’ll need to create at a minimum a blog page and an about page. The DIY Guy site will show you how to do that.
Now that you have a website you will need to begin posting content on it. You can post anything you want but I recommend choosing a topic that interests you. It should also be something you want people to find when they search you for online.
On the about page, you will tell your readers two things. First, what they should expect when reading your blog, i.e. the value you will provide them. Second, you will need to tell them about yourself.
Own Your mistake
You need to own your past. We all make mistakes, your blog is the place to acknowledge those mistakes.
Your about page is the best place to do this. Typically the about page is the most visited page on a website.
You will “own” your mistake by acknowledging it and discussing the lessons you’ve learned from your transgression. Use this as the basis to show how you’ve changed.
This will help you to create and control (to an extent) your own brand rather than let the news media or Google create it for you. Turns out, this is true whether you have committed crimes in the past or not by the way.
The content you create allows you to craft your brand. It helps paint the picture of who you are, where you’ve been and where you’re going. The power of blogging can never be understated.
Blog often
In order to keep the other results down, or, at least, keep your’s highly visible, you will need to post valuable content, often. Use your content to help turn your story from released criminal to reformed criminal.
Remember the press likes positive news stories as well.
There is no formula to specify how often you should blog or some magic number of posts that will “work” but I recommend posting something related to your topic or area of interest at least once a week.
By posting frequently, you will make your site visible on Google. This will not happen overnight. Be patient and form a habit. Once you’ve gotten into the habit of posting regularly, you will need to venture out into social media.
Get Social
Getting started with social media can be daunting. There are lots and lots of potential platforms. My advice, do not get on all of them. This won’t help. Instead, focus on a few and focus on consistency.
I recommend everyone grab their name on the following platforms simply because Google gives these sites “priority” in the search results.
- Twitter: Twitter and Google reached an agreement in 2016 that now results in your tweets being returned in Google results.
- Google +
Can you select others? Sure. But it may not make a difference. Start with a few relevant social media sites and focus on them, like a laser. Own these platforms and complete them 100%. It doesn’t help to just have your name attached to something if you do nothing with it.
Curate Content
Blogging on your topic of choice is a great start but to really help your brand stand out online, you also need to curate the content of others.
After you’ve selected your niche or area of focus, find others who have the same interests and share their content. This may sound counter-productive at first but stay with me here.
You will use both your website and social media accounts to promote yourself and others, but not in that order. Social media is social. Curate the content of others first, then promote your content.
Doing this will make you a go-to resource for your topic or area of interest and position you as a thought leader. This will eventually help you become the “Google of your niche”.
Become the Google for your niche
We rely on Google for everything, from the clothes we buy, to the cars we drive, to the location of the restaurant for dinner. It’s become an invaluable resource for us all.
Through the combination of creating content and curating content on a topic or area of interest, you can eventually become a resource to others on the topic. When other people are coming to you as a resource, as the go-to person on a topic, you’ve just become the Google of your niche.
SUMMARY
These are tactical steps that we can all take regardless of our past. It all starts by accepting that you can only control, what you can control. Believing this, is the first step to overcoming negative results.
The second step, well it’s a combination of the steps outlined in this post and a lot of hard work. But like most things in life, it’s the things that are the hardest to do that are the most rewarding.
Regardless of the strategy taken, we can't stop the news media from being themselves but if we can change their perception, through hard work and diligence, well that's a good place to be.
QUESTION: What do you think? Will these tactics work? What other suggestions for you have? Let me know via Twitter @RyanRhoten
